The Anglican Bishop of Uyo, Rt. Rev. Isaac Orama, last year condemned the activities of homosexuals and lesbians in language that typifies Nigerian Anglican leaders’ hostility to gays.

“Homosexuality and lesbianism are inhuman,” he said.

“Those who practice them are insane, satanic and are not fit to live because they are rebels to God’s purpose for man.”

Nigerian law states that anyone who has “carnal knowledge of any person against order of nature or permits a male to have carnal knowledge of him” can be imprisoned for 14 years.

Exodus’ response: Silence.

In the past year, African bigots have used Christian churches and other moral platforms to promote the “corrective rape” of lesbians, and to demand long prison sentences or death for persons who are honest about their same-sex attraction.

Anglicans in Africa are waging cultural warfare against their own family and church members who dare to be honest about their same-sex attraction. Worse, they seem to be dressing their bigotry in the trappings of conservative Christian language and exploiting similar bigotries among conservative Episcopal congregations — all for political gain within the Anglican Communion.

Exodus has responded to these instances of antigay hostility and dehumanization with a mix of support and apathy. Its singular political statement in recent times regarding the global human rights of gay people was an expression of support for criminalization of same-sex attraction and expression in Barbados, where ex-gay activist Donnie McClurkin is currently spreading antigay hostility, misunderstanding, misdirected hope, and division among families and communities in which some people are same-sex-attracted.

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3 Comments

KarenJune 1, 2011 at 8:15 pm -

Focus on the Family with James Dobson expresses a worldview which encourages health, family stability, education, and honesty. There is no reason to express opinions of intolerance against morals upon which our country was founded. If you do not like our heritage, you are probably in the wrong country. Our forefathers shed their lifeblood for our freedom to say what we believe. Your agenda to disrespect those who have different hopes for their families than you do is Un-American.

Evan HurstJune 1, 2011 at 8:28 pm -

Wrong. James Dobson expresses a worldview which encourages lying to one’s kids, hurting them if they’re gay, denial of science, denial of reality, and beating wiener dogs. Look it up. “Dobson wiener dogs” is a good search. He’s a sick man.

Ben In OaklandJune 1, 2011 at 9:41 pm -

“Your agenda to disrespect those who have different hopes for their families than you do is Un-American.”

Karen, I wish I had the time and inclination to fully address your defense of Dobson.

But I don’t.

But you see, you have underlined the exact problem here. It is not intolerance of his moral beliefs– that is what he is demonstrating. It is intolerance for his hypocrisy.

He is for all of those different things that you call his benefits for some people only– the ones he approves of. He does not think that I am entitled to them. I have a much different hope for my family than Dobson does, and what I want for my family is from my government, not from him, and in fact, has nothing at all to do with him or his family.

I want my family to have the same respect and recognition, protections and benefits, that his does. nothing more and nothing less.

He can believe whatever he wants to believe, as wrong headed and hurtful as that may be. I think it is stupid and wasteful and harmful, but I frankly don’t care. The problem arises when he says that the government should deny for me what he demands for himself.

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